


Kiss it Better

by Kirbily



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Angst, Chloe comforts Lucifer, F/M, Fluff, Lucifer flusters Chloe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slight gore?, and shirtless Lucifer, at least I think it counts as romance?, but only a little angst, currently just a one shot but might continue on, there might be more later on though, there's blood at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-02 06:09:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8653765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirbily/pseuds/Kirbily
Summary: It had all started when Lucifer was injured during an investigation. Chloe insisted on seeing to his wound. What followed was a back and forth of getting hurt and being cared for by two people who just can't admit how much the other means to them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Currently just a one shot but I may add more chapters. It really depends on how episode 2.10 goes.

The elevator pinged open, allowing Lucifer to stroll into his penthouse. Close behind followed Chloe, worry and a bit of annoyance etched onto her face.

“We should have gone to a hospital,” she was saying, carrying on their conversation from the lift. Her eyes were glued to the back of his jacket where a gash in the fabric just above his left hip resided. 

“We most certainly should not have,” Lucifer replied. “I have no desire to wait around in a cesspool of germs and sickly persons. Besides, it’s hardly even a scratch.” He made his way over to the bar and began to take his jacket off. Beneath his usual crisp white button down was not so crisp anymore; the lower back was covered in blood and the shirt had a slice in it the length of a hand.

Chloe’s breath caught in her throat seeing all the red. It had only been half an hour ago that it happened: the pair had been on the trail of a robber of fine arts who had killed the homeowner of the last house he had burgled. Thanks to Lucifer’s connections in the realm of illicit art deals they did not find the identity of their culprit, but did find where he was possibly going to strike next. The last painting in the series he was trying to collect resided in the home of a wealthy banker. Chloe had requested the man and his family stay in a hotel that night while her, Lucifer, and a handful of other officers laid in wait at the house for the thief to appear.

Of course, it was Chloe who came across him, just as he was coming over the back fence just after midnight. There was a scuffle, he knocked her gun out of her hands and into the pool, she got a good right hook to his jaw, and then he pulled out a knife. For a moment she thought he would gut her, but in a flash something was between them. Like always, Lucifer had come to her rescue and shielded her from the blade, allowing it to cut into his back instead. After that, her devilish partner made short work of the culprit, rendering him useless and sobbing in a matter of moments, the Lucifer Speciality. 

While the other officers cuffed the perp and hauled him to the cruisers, Chloe argued with Lucifer to allow her to take him to a hospital. He tried to brush it off but she could see how stiffly he walked back to her vehicle, and even though he denied it profusely she knew he was in pain.

Which brought them to the penthouse, Lucifer pouring himself a drink and Chloe stepping up to his side, taking the glass away from him.

“What-” Lucifer began, but Chloe interrupted him.

“Nope,” she said as she put the glass out of his reach, “None of that until you let me at least take a look at it.”

He gave her a face that reminded her of her own daughter when she took away Trixie’s toys when it was time to do chores, the “But moooom” face. Then his faced turned to one of resignation and he said, “If you must. But be gentle.” His eyes twinkled mischievously as he added the last part.

Lucifer turned his back to Chloe and she leaned in closer to inspect the stab wound. Gingerly she touched the area where the blood was darkest, but it was drying and causing the shirt to stick to Lucifer’s skin. She couldn’t see the cut clearly amongst the huge blood stain.

“This isn’t going to work, I’m going to have to clean it up to get a better look at it,” Chloe mumbled to herself, “You’re going to have to take this off.”

Lucifer looked over his shoulder at her, eyes glittering, and she knew she made a mistake.

“My, my, Detective,” his voice was playful and sultry, “Is this just ploy to get me undressed? You know, you just need to ask.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and lightly pushed him towards the long sofa at the other end of the room, not bothering to dignify him with a reply. “Clean towels, where are they?”

“Bathroom, of course,” Lucifer replied. 

She nodded and went into bathroom. As he strolled over to the couch he began unbuttoning his shirt. “Do you want me to come with you? Perhaps you’d prefer to wash all of me up in there.” He let the “all” drawl suggestively.

Again, she didn’t both replying, just shook her head to herself. After all this time Lucifer’s advances, whether they were just meant to be a joke or not at this point, just rolled off her back like water off a duck. Chloe grabbed some towels and ran a couple under the tap to get them damp.

“Antiseptic?” She called out.

“In one of the drawers, I’m sure,” he replied from the other room. “Not that I ever really need it, but you never know when a guest might get a little hurt during certain… activities.” Chloe didn’t need to imagine what he meant, she could tell from his tone just what type of ‘activities’ he was referring to.

She found what she was looking for in the second draw she opened, which she was thankful for because who knows what else lurked in these drawers. That was all she needed, to come across Lucifer’s supply of sex toys (even though since she started living with Maze, finding sex toys in strange places was becoming a normal occurrence).

“If you truly want to clean me up,” Lucifer was calling out as she gathered all her supplies and heading for the bathroom door. “I could always use a sponge bath.”

“What? Come on, man,” she said, making a face of disgust as she left the bathroom, “There is nothing sexy about sponge baths. Nothing.” But she stopped in her tracks all the same. 

Beside the couch Lucifer was discarding his soiled shirt onto the coffee table, and even though Chloe had seen him shirtless, and completely naked, on a few occasions, it was still a sight to behold. She often thought of Lucifer as nothing but a headache most days, but at moments like this she was reminded of how truly attractive he was. His upper torso was lean and muscular, his muscles perfectly etched into his chest and abdomen like he was carved from marble, his hips slim with the perfect V guiding the gaze downward, his long arms strong and toned and looking like they'd be heaven to be caught up in, and for a moment he did look like the celestial being he claimed he was. Chloe could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she looked upon him

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Lucifer said, carrying on his train of thought about sponge baths, “I’m sure we could find a way to make it more enjoyable.” He gave her a dark grin, and Chloe couldn’t help but snort at this absurd proposition, the spell over her a moment ago broken.

Before he could give her a disappointed puppy look, Chloe crossed over to the sofa and pushed him to sit. “Sit with your chest over the arm of the couch.”

Lucifer obeyed, leaning over the sofa’s arm while Chloe sat beside him. “Oh, I do like it when you take command, Detective.”

“No more talking,” she ordered, and even though she couldn’t see his face she could tell he was grinning.

The odd position caused Lucifer’s body to twist and stretch, and Chloe had to admit to herself it was a pleasant view of his back stretched out. The only blemishes on his perfect, soft skin were the two long scars on his upper back. It had been a long time since she had seen them so close, but they weren’t what she was here to examine, no matter how curious about them she was. She turned her attention to the expanse of bloody skin above Lucifer’s hip.

He let out a soft hiss when she began wiping the dried blood off the wound and she pretended not to hear him. Chloe knew he detested appearing weak and didn’t want to hurt his pride by pointing out that this wound did, in fact, hurt.

“Well,” she announced after a few minutes of cleaning the slash so she could take a better look at it, “It doesn’t look that deep at all. The knife must have just grazed you. You won’t need stitches, thank goodness, but it’ll take a while to heal.”

“I doubt that,” Lucifer said over his shoulder, “It’ll probably heal as soon as you’re gone.”

“Right. Because you’re immortal,” she said, and he just nodded his head softly. “Well, I’m still going to put some antiseptic on it.”

He didn’t object, so Chloe started putting the ointment on her finger. How could Lucifer still insist that he was immortal? She found herself wondering. I’m literally sitting here, seeing to his wounds, but he insists he’s the Devil. She shook her head to herself, knowing that she would probably never fully understand this man before her.

When she began applying the ointment to the cut, Lucifer let out a cry.

“Oh calm down, you big baby,” she said, but chuckled a little. 

She ran her finger over the wound, making sure to get every inch covered. As she did, her eyes travelled back up to the marred skin on his upper back. The two long scars that she had never had the courage to ask about but wanted to know their story more than anything. It had been months since she had first seen them and since then there had been so many times she wanted to ask about them, where they came from, but she never dared, not with how Lucifer had first reacted with such fear and hurt when she first saw them.

Without even thinking, her finger that had finished applying the antiseptic to Lucifer’s wound trailed up the warm skin of his back and lightly touched one of the scars between his shoulder blades. Instantly, Lucifer’s back became stiff and he let out a gasp.

“Oh!” Chloe shoved herself away from him, holding her one hand that had touched him like it was a felon. “Oh jeez, Lucifer, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” 

Her heart nearly stopped beating, realizing she crossed a line. Oh god, what had caused her to do that? She knew he didn’t want the scars touched, but she did it anyway. Stupid Chloe, stupid! Who knew how he had gotten them, some horrific way she was sure. She spent long moments thinking of how Lucifer had gotten them, wondering how traumatic it must have been, probably whatever caused it was the reason he pretended to be the King of Hell, right?

When Lucifer continued to sit deathly still, Chloe dared to scoot a slight bit closer, fear gripping her heart.

“Lucifer?” she said quietly, “Do you- do you want me to go?”

He let out a shaky breath finally and replied, “No. No, it’s fine.”

Chloe thought she would faint with relief. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.” He then turned around to fully face her and the look on his face caused the breath to catch to Chloe’s throat. It was soft, almost contemplative, and when his eyes met hers they were full of fear but also, maybe, hope?

“Chloe…” he spoked slowly and she found herself leaning closer. “I… I trust you.”

For the second or third time in as many minutes, Chloe felt the breath taken from her. He trusted her. She already knew that he trusted her, you could tell by their day to day interactions, but this was different. This was a different kind of trust. He trusted her with his pain, with his trauma. It was a huge privilege. 

Wordlessly Lucifer turned around again, showing her his back and his scars. Chloe came closer, taking this as an invitation to exam them. At first, she just used her eyes, gazing at the rise and fall of flesh, the puckering that was the result of some unknown injury. After a moment she raised a hand and softly, ever so softly, running a finger down the edge of one of the scars. Lucifer let out a shiver but didn’t say anything, though Chloe could see how his breathing became shallower. 

The scars were still as soft as the rest of Lucifer’s skin and warm to the touch. They were as long as both her hands put one over the other, and about as wide as one. They were red and ragged, but like nothing Chloe had seen before. She had no idea what could have caused them. Both her hands were exploring them now, running her finger tips over the bumps, a little entranced by them, how they looked and felt.

“What happened?” she finally asked in a small voice.

Lucifer cleared his throat and said simply, “Maze did it.”

“What?” She felt a shock go through her. “Maze did this? Are you serious?” Chloe felt a spike of anger rise in her. She knew that Lucifer and Maze had a complicated and strange relationship, but what the hell was this? What could have caused her roommate to do this?

“Yes,” he said, in the same simple tone like it wasn’t a big thing, “I asked her to.”

Chloe pushed away from him, completely dumbstruck. “You asked her to.” Of course he did, Chloe found herself thinking, it was probably some weird sex thing. Oh my god, I can’t believe I thought these were the result of some kind of abuse!

Before she could continue her train of thought, Lucifer had turned to face her. “Of course. I couldn’t cut off my own wings, I couldn’t exactly reach them. I needed someone else to do it.”

She found herself staring at him, trying to rap her head around what he had just said to her. “Your wings?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what the scars are from.”

“Yes.”

Chloe was rubbing her head, this whole thing was one big roller coaster of emotions for her. “Of course that’s what they’re from.”

“I know you don’t always believe me, Detective,” he said to her like she was a child, “but that is the truth. When I came to L.A. all that time ago, I removed my wings.”

“And these are the same wings we went hunting for, right?”

“Correct.”

She couldn’t believe she was having a conversation about cutting off angel wings, then a thought occurred to her. “What ever happened to your wings? You didn’t tell me.”

Lucifer leaned on the arm of the sofa, part of his back to Chloe so she could see one of the scars peeking out at her. 

“I burned them,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You burned them,” she echoed. 

“Well of course, I didn’t need them anymore.” He turned a bit away from her, a dark look appearing on his face. “They were just a bad reminder anyway.”

Chloe picked up on the bitterness in his voice. “Reminder of what?”

He scoffed. “Everything, Detective. My father, the burden he placed on me. His so called “gift.” Being cast out. Turned into something feared and reviled. Forced to live a life I did not choose, that I did not want. Made to be the Father of Evil, Prince of Lies, on and on with the titles.” 

As he spoke, his voice became harder and went up in volume. The muscles in his neck tightened, and Chloe found herself placing her hand on his shoulder in hopes of calming him, but he didn’t even noticed.

“But they were a reminder of everything I lost as well,” Lucifer continued, his voice almost cracking. “My family, my brothers and sisters. The ones that opposed me came to hate me, and the ones that supported me were cast out along with me. I lost everyone I cared about.” He leaned over, put his head in his hands, breath heavy.

Chloe sat beside him, hand rubbing small circles into his back. So this was it then, she thought. Why the scars were connected to such pain. It wasn’t a physical trauma, it was an emotional one. A part of her was happy that Lucifer was finally sharing all of this with her, but her heart still felt for him and his grief and anger. It was painful to see him in such torment. 

“I burned the wings,” he finally uttered, “Because they embodied all that. And they were what could make me go back to that life, and I swore I would never go back. Ever.”  
She was running a thumb over the edge of one of the scars, and without thinking, mostly just feeling that she wanted to make him feel better, Chloe leaned over and placed a soft kiss on the scar itself. 

Both of them froze for a moment, what just happened sinking in, Lucifer with his hands over his face and Chloe leaned over his back. Then Lucifer sat up straight to look at her at the exact moment that Chloe quickly scuttled away from him, her face turning red.

“Sorry!” she cried, throwing her hands up in front of her, “Mom instincts kicked in!”

Lucifer was looking at her questioningly, and Chloe almost would have laughed at how confused he looked if she wasn’t so completely mortified herself.

“Mom instincts?” He repeated.

“Yeah, uh,” she started rubbing her hands on her pants, realizing how sweaty they suddenly were. “When Trixie gets hurt, I always kiss it better for her. It doesn’t actually do anything, but it makes her feel better.”

“So…” he said slowly, “You wanted to kiss me better, is that it Detective?” There was a slight twinkle in his eye and a smile starting to show up, and Chloe could sense the regular Lucifer was coming back.

“No- well, I guess yes- but-” Feeling to flustered to have this conversation, especially when he was starting to look at her that way, Chloe shot to her feet.

“Speaking of Trixie, it’s getting late,” she declared. Before he could stop her, she started marching towards to elevator. “I should get home and relieve the babysitter.”

“But Detective,” Lucifer was one his feet and following after her. “I want to know more about this “kissing better” business.”

She didn’t bother turning around to see if he was genuinely curious (fat chance) or if he was just going to use it as innuendo fodder. Chloe jabbed the elevator button and was relieved when it opened right away. 

“Keep an eye on that wound,” she called over her shoulder, trying to keep her voice even so it wouldn’t betray how fast her heart was beating. “Keep putting the antiseptic salve on it daily. I’ll see you later.”

She stepped into the elevator quickly. When she turned around to hit the floor button she refused to meet his eyes but she could have sworn he had a thoughtful smile on his face instead of a lecherous one. But before he could say anything in reply to her the elevator doors closed.


	2. Disappearing Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe checks up on Lucifer the day after he was injured to see how he's doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super short, but it's kind of a stepping stone to the next chapter.

Chloe strolled into the penthouse from the open elevator, morning light shining in through the large windows. To her right Lucifer was at the bar, having an ever so healthy breakfast of scotch. Honestly, she found herself thinking, how can one man have such unhealthy habits and still look so… She shook her head slightly, stopping that train of thought before it could go any further. 

Lucifer happened to look over to see her then and his face lit up. “Detective, what a wonderful surprise, I thought I was meeting you at the station.”

“Yeah, well,” she replied, making her way over to him, “I thought I’d come by and see how that wound is doing. If it’s still sensitive then maybe you shouldn’t push yourself today.”

His smile grew larger, and it was a genuine one, as if he was truly happy about her concern. “That is very thoughtful of you, thank you. But you needn’t worry, the cut is all heal.”

“What?” Chloe gave him a stunned look.

“It’s healed,” he repeated. “All gone. Not a trace of it is left.” His smile turned smug, the “I told you so” grin.

She shook her head. “That can’t be possible. You just got it last night.”

“I did say it would be gone once you left, didn’t I?”

Chloe gave him an annoyed look, irked by both his smug expression and the impossibility of a disappearing knife wound. Her mouth tightened into a determined line. “Show me.”

“Excuse me?” He actually looked a bit taken aback.

“Lift up your shirt,” was all she said, “Show me it’s gone.”

“My, my, Detective, trying to get me shirtless twice in in less than 24 hours,” Lucifer grinned darkly, but he still turned around and pulled the back of his shirt out of his waistband and up to reveal his lower back.

And it was just as he said it was, the slash in his skin was gone with no trace that it had ever been there. Chloe’s eyes widened in disbelief and without thinking she stepped closer, running her fingertips over the warm skin where the wound had been the night before.

“This can’t be,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “How can this even be possible?”

“Hello- Devil,” Lucifer said over his shoulder, then his dark eyes glinted playfully. “Why, Detective, did you want to kiss that better too?”

Chloe felt a shock go down her spine at his words, and realising her hands were splayed over Lucifer’s lower back, she quickly pulled them away and stood up straight. Damn it, she thought as her face started turning red, of course he’d bring that up! It was too much to hope that he would have forgotten about it, but she had stilled prayed that would have been the case.

“Okay, listen,” she began, putting her hands up between her and him like they were some kind of barrier to protect her. “That- thing- last night, it was a-”

“Very nice sentiment,” Lucifer finished for her as he turned around and began tucking his shirt back into his trousers.

Chloe gave him a bit of a confused look. “It was?”

“Of course.” His face was soft but serious, even though Chloe was sure he was just teasing her. “You said it yourself. Sometimes people get hurt and you want to take their pain away, but you can’t. So you “kiss it better” as a way of showing you care.”

She felt a little dumbstruck, it was surreal to have Lucifer talking about comforting people when most of the time he seemed to enjoy causing discomfort in others, most of the time even pain. But she found herself nodding, lost for anything else to say. He gave her a small smile, the rare ones he gave when he was showing his vulnerable core that he kept hidden under layers of drinking, Devil puns, anger, and innuendoes. It made her heart beat a little faster.

“I didn’t get to say it last night, but thank you. I greatly appreciate the sentiment.”

Chloe smiled back. “You are certainly welcome.”

They stood there for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes, smiling softly. The room felt warm, but in a pleasant way, and they might have stood there longer if Chloe’s phone didn’t begin to vibrate in her pocket. With a jolt she pulled it out to look at the screen, and the feeling dissipated. 

“Oh, we got a case,” she said, turning on her heel and heading towards the lift. “Come on, we got work to do.”

“I am positively vibrating with expectation,” he said, downing his liquid breakfast and following her.

As they waited for the elevator to open, Chloe cast him a sideways look. “Okay, be honest with me. Did you call in a favour with some plastic surgeon to fix up that wound?”

“Detective!” Lucifer gave a dramatic, exasperated huff. “I am always honest with you, and I did not call a plastic surgeon.”

The elevator pinged and the doors opened, allowing the two of them to step inside.

“Sure you didn’t,” Chloe said, sounding suspicious, but deep in her heart she knew he wasn’t lying. If Lucifer said the wound healed by itself then that’s what happened, and a part of her was completely alright with that answer.


	3. Dr. Lucifer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Chloe's turn to get hurt and Lucifer to take care of her, but this investigation is a bit personal to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess this takes place after 2x10, but we can assume that nothing happened between Chloe and Lucifer that night, at least not in this fic.  
> Omg, so much fluff but lots of angst too! Prepare for crying Chloe!

“Chloe? Chloe, wake up, please.”

The voice drifted through the darkness to her consciousness, full of worry, almost bordering on panic. At first she wasn’t sure where she was or what was happening, but sensations began to become clear; hard ground was under her back and her head felt like it was full of fog, yet there was a throbbing sensation cutting sharply into her brain, it’s source somewhere around her right temple. There was something on her face too, keeping her from moving her head.

“Wha-what’s happening?” She managed to utter. Her voice sound strange to herself, weak and whispery. Chloe tried to open her eyes but they didn’t seem to want to cooperate with her. 

“Take it easy,” the same voice as before was saying. She recognized it but she wasn’t sure who it belonged to, she just couldn’t focus on it. “You’ve been hurt. Try not to move too much.”

Finally she managed to squint open an eye, and dim lighting filled her sight, along with a familiar face hovering over her, looking scared and worried. 

“Lucifer,” she breathed. Her mouth twitched into a small grin, and that caused the pain in her head to worsen. She flinched against it.

“I said to not move,” He said sternly, but his face seemed to relax a little. 

“What happened?” The fog in her head was lifting, but very slowly. The hardness under her back was the cement she was lying on, the dim lights from the backdoor of some building. They were in an alley. She reached up to touch where her temple was throbbing only to feel fingers. Lucifer’s fingers. He was cupping both sides of her face, keeping her head still.

“Our suspect,” He explain, “You tried to apprehend him and he got you good, pistol butt right to the side of your head. You were down before I could get to you.” His voice was low and strained, and he was clenching his jaw, but whether it was out of worry for her wellbeing or anger at someone hurting her, Chloe wasn’t sure.

“Mhmm,” was all she could mumble. She vaguely began to remember following someone into an alley, for… something. He had done something… or was going to do something… As she tried to remember she laid her hand on top of Lucifer’s against her face and pushed her cheek into it, looking for comfort without realizing it.

They stayed like that for a second before Lucifer cleared his throat abruptly, and pulled his hands away. “We should get you looked at, you could be concussed. Are you alright to sit up?”

Chloe frowned a bit as she squinted up at him, missing the warmth of his palm on her cheek already, but she gave a slow nod. Gently he helped her to sit up, which only made her head spin as the throbbing in her temple intensified.

“Oh shit,” She groaned and pulled up her knees to let her head rest against them, a wave of nausea coming over her. After a second she felt a pressure on her back; Lucifer rubbing it in comfort.

“Did we get him?” Chloe asked, her voiced muffled by her jeans.

When Lucifer didn’t answer right away, she peaked out at him to see his face forlorn and he wouldn’t look her in the eye.

“When he hit you,” he began slowly, “And you fell, my main concern was making sure you were okay. I’m sorry Detective, but he got away.”

For a moment it felt like the throbbing in her head was worse. “We have to catch him,” Chloe said, though her mind still couldn’t full grasp what exactly this guy had done. But her gut was saying it was bad, and they had to find him. 

She weakly tried to get to her feet but almost fell over when the fog in her brain suddenly got stronger as she stood. Thankfully, Lucifer was up in a moment and steadying her, one hand on the small of her back, the other grasping one of her forearms. 

“Absolutely not,” he told her. “You are in no condition to go after him.”

“I can do it,” she insisted and would have pulled out of his grasp if it wasn’t like iron. She turned her head to look him straight in the face, but his expression was hard and unwavering.

“Normally, Detective, I would enjoy nothing more than watching you manhandle a criminal, but in this case I am putting my foot down. You are injured, and he is long gone.”

“Lucifer, I-”

“Chloe, please.” 

Her argument dried up in her throat. Though his face was still serious, the look in his eyes was pleading. It finally occurred to her just how worried he was about her condition, maybe even scared. Her heart fluttered a bit at the thought he was so concerned about her, or maybe that was just the head injury.

“Alright,” she conceded. “Take me home.”

She could almost see the relief wash over him. He guided her back down the alley, his hands never leaving her back or arm, and Chloe even allowed herself to lean into him as they walked since her brain continued to feel like it was stuffed with cotton.

They came out on an empty street, surrounded by warehouses, and her cruiser was parked haphazardly along the curb. A memory flickered in her head of chasing their suspect down this street in the car, then getting out to follow him on foot when it was clear the alley was too small to drive down. Instinctively she moved towards the driver’s side but Lucifer tutted and directed her towards the passenger seat.

Once she was inside the car and buckled up Lucifer took off his jacket and draped it over her like a blanket. He didn’t offer a reason why and she didn’t ask, instead she pulled it up to her chin and breathed in the comforting scent of him.

Lucifer got in on the driver’s side and started the car. The noise made her head throb more and she leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes, perfectly content to just fall asleep with Lucifer’s jacket serving as a blanket. But a sharp jab to her side made her sit up and cry out.

“Wha-”

“Do not fall asleep,” he ordered. “First rule about concussions. Even I know that.”

“Alright,” she replied, but she still felt too weak for conversation, so they drove in silence while she looked out the window and tried to recall the events of the evening.

There was a murder, it came back to her. Their suspect was almost certainly the culprit. They knew he would be down in this area, he was selling… something. It was stored in one of the warehouses but they didn’t know which one. As they were driving around, looking for anything that might give the location away, they had seen someone walking down the street, in a navy blue hoody and yellow shoes with reflective strips, just like their suspect was described to have worn. 

Lucifer had suggested Chloe pull up beside the person and roll down his window so he could make conversation, but the moment she did the guy ran. If that was suspicious enough, as he ran the back of his sweater lifted up to reveal a hidden gun which looked a lot like the model used in the murder they were looking into. Chloe drove after him, and when he ducked into the alley she got out to follow.

But he was waiting and attacked her from behind. She fought back, trying to turn around so she could get a look at him from under his hood, but that’s when he struck her on the temple and everything went black.

They were finally pulling up outside of her apartment complex when she finally uttered, “I didn’t get a look at his face.”

Lucifer was in the process of unbuckling his seat belt but he stopped and said gently, “Detective-”

“No,” she interrupted him, “The only description we have of the murderer is that he is around 6ft, wearing a navy hoodie and yellow shoes that were reflective, but nobody saw his face.”

As she was saying this, Lucifer had gotten out of the car and had come around to the passenger side, where he opened the door and crouched down beside her.

“The only reason I went after him,” she continued, her voice cracking a bit, “Was because I was sure I could catch him. But I screwed up, I was reckless and he got the jump on me. We might never find him again, and I didn’t even get a look at his face.”

Lucifer gently took her hands in his own in a reassuring manner. “We will find him. We always do. But for now we have to take care of that head of yours, so let’s go inside, shall we?”

Chloe gave a weak nod and let him pull her to her feet. He readjusted his jacket so that it was over her shoulders, then escorted her into the building and down to her apartment.

Once inside he guided her to the sofa and gestured for her to sit while he went into the kitchen for ice. The apartment was quiet since Trixie was with Dan and Maze was, well, who knows where. Chloe leaned into the comfortable cushions while wrapping herself tighter in Lucifer’s jacket.

The fog in her brain was still there, keeping her from remembering everything about the case. Damn, how hard was I hit? She thought. At least the suspect didn’t kill her, like he did…

Detective Crossley. That was it. The victim was an detective, one she had never met but had heard nothing but good things about him. Apparently he was on the trail of… weapons. That was it. Illegal weapon sales. And he was murdered, shot point blank outside of some diner he was meeting an informant at. But the informant never showed, just a man in a navy hoody, his face covered by the darkness of his hood and a bandana over his nose and mouth.

“Here we are,” Lucifer appeared at her side, disrupting her train of thought. He was holding a cloth wrapped around some ice cubes, and offered it to her. 

“Thank you,” she took it and gingerly pressed it against her head. The touch of cold stung and she let out a soft hiss.

“Allow me to take a look at it, will you?”

She gave a smirk but moved the ice out of the way. “Okay, Dr. Lucifer.”

“I may not be a doctor,” he said as he sat on the arm of the couch and leaned closer to for a look, “but I’ve seen my fair share of head wounds. You would not believe how many brawls break out at Lux.”

“At a night club?” Chloe said, faking surprise, “Full of booze and beautiful women for men to fight over? I never would have thought.”

“Ha ha,” was his dry response. “Really, it’s the females who get into cat fights more often than not. I usually let Maze handle them, it’s one of her favourite duties.” 

“Wrestling gorgeous women apart? I bet.”

Lucifer sat straight. “Well, you’re not going to bleed to death, there’s only a small cut that seems to have stopped bleeding. But the goose egg you have is horrendous. I hope you like incorporating hats into your outfits.”

When Chloe gave him an unimpressed look, he just smiled and added, “Or you can get creative with your hairstyles. I’m sure Maze would love to help.” She tried to continue to look stern but his humour was uplifting. Clearly she wasn’t in any immediate mortal danger if Lucifer could crack jokes.

“Now, continue to hold this against the bulbous lump,” Lucifer was saying. He took her hand that was holding the cloth covered ice and pressed it against her temple. “And I will get a damp cloth to clean you up a bit.”

As he wandered off towards the bathroom Chloe couldn’t help but smile. It was nice having him take care of her. In fact she couldn’t remember the last time someone had nursed her, not counting the times she played doctor with Trixie-

Trixie.

The memory hit her like a rock. Detective Crossley also had a daughter named Trixie, though it was short for Patricia instead of Beatrice like her own daughter. She clearly remembered talking to Crossley’s widow that morning, who held her 10 year old daughter. The poor girl was sobbing, completely devastated by the loss of her father. Chloe had taken her aside and assured the girl that she would catch her father’s murderer. “I promise,” Chloe had said to Trixie, who reminded her so much of her own Trixie but even more so of herself when she lost her own father, “I promise I will not stop until we catch him.”

The feeling of remorse rose strongly in her chest and her head throbbed more. She had let that little girl down. She had a chance to catch her father’s murderer and she failed, and now she was sitting here, enjoying being taken care of, while that murderer was getting further and further away. How could she feel content, even happy a little, when there was a child out there that she made a promise to. She knew better than anyone what this other Trixie was feeling, the pain, the sadness, the loneliness.

Well no more, Chloe thought, I’m going to catch him. I have to catch him. I'll give her closure. She tossed her bag of ice onto the couch and stood up, but the sudden move caused another wave of nausea to roll through her and she wavered on her feet.

“No, no, no,” she heard from behind her, and Lucifer appeared at her side to steady her. “What on earth do you think you’re doing, Detective?”

“I have to get back out there,” she said and tried to shrug him off.

“You are in absolutely no condition to do that.”

“It doesn’t matter, I have to.” She gave him a hard look, her chin setting stubbornly. She had made up her mind, catching this guy was the most important thing, not her own well being. Lucifer would never understand, not like she did. If she let this guy get away... her heart felt icy cold with guilt, but with something more...

“I will not allow it,” he told her, and rose to his full height above her. 

But she refused to intimidated by him. “Every moment we sit here arguing, he gets further away.” She tried to sound stern but her voice quavered, betraying the emotions rising up in her. She couldn’t let this little girl down, this poor little girl who had lost her father, had lost her entire world. A lump was forming in her throat, thinking of Trixie’s pain, a pain that mirrored her own so well.

“Detective, listen to reason.”

“You’re one to talk about reason,” she fired back. She could feel tears brimming up in her eyes and she tried fiercely to keep them back. “You usually do whatever you like, to hell with the consequences.” Why couldn't he see? Why couldn't he understand like she did? The feelings of anger and guild continued to bubble up.

“Did you get hit in the head harder than I thought?” Lucifer said, searching her face, then added, “No, I didn’t mean that. I am just completely lost as to where all this is coming from. Is it your time of the month?”

That did it. “I am not standing around here and listening to this,” she said. She shrugged off his jacket and shoved it towards him, ignoring his sudden hurt look. “I have a promise to keep and I am going to keep it.”

“Chloe- don’t-”

“I’ll talk to you later,” she said and tried to turn on her heel to walk away, but her throbbing in her head became incredibly intense and her knees buckled. If Lucifer hadn’t caught her she would have been sprawled on the floor in a moment.

“You are in no condition to go traipsing around the city trying to catch a murderer,” he told her. He gently but firmly set her back on the couch, sitting on the coffee table himself so he was in front of her. “You must know that. What is going on?”

Chloe leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes, her face feeling warm with embarrassment and frustration, more emotions to add to her internal turmoil. He was right of course, she couldn’t even walk out of her own home, how could she run down a criminal right now? She had completely messed up, she was completely useless, she had failed Trixie Crossley, and she had failed herself. Before she could stop it from happening, hot tears fell from her eyes.

“I can’t let another little girl feel how I feel,” she finally let out with a small sob. “To not know what happened to her dad. To know that his killer is still out there, free.” The feelings boiled over inside her, bursting out in her tears.

“Oh,” Lucifer said softly, his voice full of understanding. “Perry Smith.”

“It’s been a week, and nobody knows where he is.” Perry Smith, her father’s murderer, not only was found nonguilty of the crime but simply vanished the very night after the court adjourned. The anger Chloe felt, and the hopelessness of never getting justice for her father, burned in her chest. “He just vanished.” 

She took a ragged breath and opened her eyes, ready to face Lucifer’s ridicule, but instead found him looking at her sympathetically. It only caused her to cry more. At this Lucifer moved closer to her and took her hands in his, albeit a bit awkwardly. But the warmth and comfort that the gesture radiated with calmed her raging feelings a bit.

“I thought-” Chloe was said between tears, “I hoped- if I caught this guy, maybe I would feel a little less hopeless. If could make sure Crossley’s wife and daughter got justice, it would make me feel better about Perry Smith getting away. But I messed it up.” 

I cost them their closure, she thought suddenly. I wasn’t thinking when I chased after that guy down the alley, I wasn’t careful, I made a rookie mistake. I didn't call for backup, I didn't check my surroundings carefully, and because of that he got away. It’s all my fault. 

She pulled her hands out of Lucifer’s and covered her own face, crying harder, allowing the feelings of shame and remorse to crash over her, threatening to drown her. She didn't take this case for Detective Crossley, she took it for herself, for her own regret. It was her own vendetta that hard spurred her own, and it had blinded her.

“Oh Chloe,” he said softly, so softly that she almost didn’t hear him. She felt his hands land softly on either side of her head and pull her a little closer, then something pressed against her throbbing temple. His lips.

Her gave out a soft hiccup out of shock and lifted her face up just as he pulled away from her. Their eyes met and held each other for a moment before Lucifer cleared his throat and dropped his hands away from her face.

“That was possibly a mistake,” he said quickly.

“No-” she began, wanting to say that it- what, meant a lot to her? But he interrupted.

“Oh, no, I meant to do that,” Lucifer assured her, a small smile appearing, “I just think I got some of your blood on my mouth.” He was right, a bit of red was on his lower lip, and he used the cuff of his sleeve to wipe it away.

Chloe couldn’t help but let out laugh, which seemed to make him relax a bit more. Her own dark feelings seemed to melt away, not completely but they didn't feel like they were going to overwhelm her anymore. Lucifer once again took one of her hands in both of his and gave it a squeeze.

“I understand that you are going through a lot, but you don’t have to go through it alone. I’m here for you, Chloe. I just wanted to show you that.” The look on his face was earnest but also honest. He gave her hand another comforting squeeze and she gave one back.

“I know,” she replied. He didn’t have to say it but she knew; he wanted to “kiss her better” as it were, to take away all her pain and sadness with an action. And for the most part it appeared to have worked. She gave him a warm smile, and when he returned it she felt her something in her chest swell.

But she was also feeling completely drained now. She used her free hand to wipe away the remaining tears on her face. “I wanted to catch this murderer to make myself feel better about Smith disappearing, about not getting justice for my own dad. That was selfish of me.”

“No, not at all,” Lucifer said, but then gave a small shrug, “Actually, yes, that reasoning sort of is selfish. However, capturing a criminal for any reason is a noble endeavor, is it not?”

Chloe gave him a weak smile, then became more serious. “It stops now. Tomorrow we start over, and we catch this guy for Crossley’s wife and daughter, and only for them." She was going to make this right. She couldn't charge out there right now, there was no point, but they would regroup and they would find this murderer. She would keep her promise, and she would do it the right way.

“That’s the Detective I know,” he said with a grin. It seemed he then realized he was still holding Chloe’s hand and let go suddenly. “Right, well, I shall even ask Maze tomorrow if she would like to assist us in tracking down our illusive murderer.” 

“You would do that?”

“Of course,” Lucifer gave her a look that made her feel like he would do anything for her, and it made her heart beat quicken. 

“Besides,” he added, “Maze’s bounty hunting fees can be steeply expensive. I’m not sure you could cover them yourself. Of course, I would require some form of repayment.” He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

“Ha ha,” Chloe said and gave him a playful shove, then slowly stood up. Lucifer got up quickly to steady her but she didn’t need him, she could stand on her own without wavering. Though her head still pounded, the fog that was plaguing her was almost completely gone now. He almost looked a bit disappointed that she didn’t need help.

“I suppose I should let you get some rest,” Lucifer said. He turned and grabbed his jacket from where it laid on the couch. He put it on slowly, as if reluctant. 

She stepped in front of him when he went to head for the door. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to go to sleep, Dr. Lucifer.” 

“Well, only until you can carry a conversation fine and stand on your own, and you seem to be doing both of those things wonderfully, so Dr. Lucifer has cleared you to rest.” 

Chloe gave him a smile, but it was a little weak. “I- I don’t really want to be alone right now.” It was true, after having her head beaten up, and then feeling so overcome with anger and sadness she thought she would fall apart, she did not want to be left alone with her thoughts just yet.

“I see,” he replied slowly. Then a devilish grin spread on his face. “Is it a special kind of company you require tonight, Detective?”

“Yes,” but before he could say anything perverted, she added, “A friend.”

That didn’t seem to deter him. “The kind of friends who hang out undressed?”

“The kind who knows when to quit before they get booted out the door.”

“Fair enough,” Lucifer said, and shucked his jacket off again. “So, what would you have me do, Detective?”

“Make popcorn,” she told him. “I think there’s a marathon of old horror movies on TV, we can just relax and watch it.” She tried to keep her voice level but inside her happiness bubbled. Chloe wasn’t sure why, it was just spending time with Lucifer, something she did almost every day.

However, when the popcorn was made and the two of them settled on the couch, close enough for their arms to brush each other, the feeling of having him so close made her happy. It even distracted her from the continuous ache in her head.

She didn’t realize she had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder, until he moved away and caused her to wake slightly. It was just enough wakefulness for her to feel him lift her up in both arms and carry her to what she assumed was her bed, but not enough for her to object. He covered her up, fully clothed, and gently smoothed the hair on her head. 

“Goodnight, Chloe,” he whispered.

In her grogginess she reached out and grabbed his hand. He stopped, stunned. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, then fell back into a deep slumber.


	4. What Happened at the Warehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and the precinct are planning to raid a warehouse housing illegal weapons, and Lucifer is not allowed to come along. But when does he ever listen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the final chapter (though there will still be an epilogue I think). I really didn't know how to end this because it started out as a one shot and I just wanted to find excuses for Chloe and Lucifer to be giving each other cute kisses lol. So, I guess this is as best an ending as any!  
> Lots of fluff, and some angst of course, because that's the best combination.

“You are not getting a gun.”

Chloe was going over her gear as Lucifer watched. All around them the precinct was buzzing with activity, other officers getting suited up in built proof vests and other tactical gear.

“In fact,” Chloe continued while putting her own gun in its holster, “there is no way you’re coming with us.”

“Detective, you can’t be serious,” Lucifer retorted, “You can’t leave me behind.”

Oh yes, she definitely could, and she was going to. This raid was going to be far too dangerous.

It had all started with the case from the previous day, Detective Crossley’s murder and the suspect that had attacked Chloe in the alley. Something was off during that encounter, it didn’t sit well with Chloe. The man who attacked her had simply left her unconscious when he was armed and had already killed another detective in cold blood. Why had he left her alive?

Thanks to some “human hunting” from Maze, they found the man who had knocked Chloe out, Jeffery Jamieson. Only, Jeffery had never even heard of Detective Crossley, and with some probing a la Lucifer, it became clear that not only was he not lying, but he definitely had not murdered Crossley or anyone else for that matter.

It took some more investigating but things began to fall into place. Jeffery Jamieson was part of, unwillingly so, an illegal weapons smuggling ring. When Chloe and Lucifer had encountered him the previous night he had been walking home from assisting in a delivery of new weapons and had gotten spooked when they tried to speak with him. It seemed poor Jeffery did not have the nerves of steel required to be hard core criminal. 

The only reason he was part of the weapons operation was because it was being run by Jamieson’s cousin, David, who had coerced Jeffery into working for him with some bullshit “family loyalty” spiel and cold hard cash. But the sense of loyalty was not mutual since it became clear that David, who was roughly the same size and build as his cousin, had borrowed Jeffery’s clothing and tried to frame him for the murder of Detective Crossley when the police officer had sniffed too close to the weapons operation. 

It took little convincing on Chloe’s part to get Jeffery to turn on his cousin once the frame job became clear, and the poor young man who had only worked for his cousin because he felt he had no other choice agreed to give them all the information they needed to find the weapon’s warehouse and set up a raid to take it down.

Now Chloe was getting ready to head out with the other officers for the raid, and Lucifer was standing by, completely pouting.

“I can be an asset,” he said to her. 

“You would be in the way,” she retorted and ignored his mock hurt expression. “Lucifer, you are not an officer, you are a civilian. You absolutely cannot come on this one, there will be real danger.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Real danger? As opposed to the fake danger I’ve faced with you up until now?”

She tried not to let her mouth twitch into a smile. “This is different. We don’t know exactly what we’re walking into. Jeffery was mostly a lackey, he didn’t know much about the operation. And from what he said, his cousin sounded like a real piece of work.”

“I’m sure I can more than handle myself.”

Chloe slipped her jacket on over her built proof vest and gave him a hard look in the eye. “I’m serious, Lucifer. I want you to stay here.”

“Detective,” he said, sounding exasperated, “I am the Devil, I am not afraid of-” 

“Maybe I’m afraid, okay?” She interrupted him. 

He stood still for a second, his mouth opened in midsentence, then he slowly closed his lips and his face softened, but he didn’t say anything.

“I’m a little afraid,” Chloe said. She suddenly couldn’t keep his gaze so she looked down and fiddled with her supplies. She hadn’t really thought of it before, but the moment the words were out of her mouth it struck her how true they were. “It just seems that lately one of us keeps getting hurt during investigations. Maybe it’s coincidence, maybe it’s just bad luck, but it’s been happening. And I worry that the next time might be something serious.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, Detective,” he said, his voice soft.

She finally looked up and met his eyes. His dark eyes seemed to burn into her and her mouth suddenly felt dry, but she still said, “But I do. So please, Lucifer, stay here, where I know you’ll be safe. Do it for me.”

He didn’t reply, just nodded slowly, seemingly not sure what to make of this new information, and before Chloe could spit out any other embarrassing feelings that were rising in her chest, she grabbed her gear and headed to meet the rest of the team.

Chloe piled into one of the huge, unmarked vans along with other officers in tactical gear. The drive was mostly silent, and while the others seemed to be steeling themselves for what was to come, Chloe couldn’t get the image of Lucifer looking softly at her. If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought that the expression on his face was almost affectionate. 

Why wouldn’t it be affectionate? She found herself wondering. Many of Lucifer’s actions lately could be seen as “affectionate,” at least in his own Lucifery way. 

Quickly she shut down that train of thought. She could not be distracted by thoughts of Lucifer right now when she had a huge raid ahead of her, one where anything could go wrong. 

Once the vans were in place, the raid went down quickly. SWAT went in first, securing the building and apprehending a handful of David Jamieson’s men. Once they were in cuffs, Chloe and other officers took to the scene, moving through the warehouse to see if anyone was hiding. When the all clear was given out, her coworkers seemed to relax but she didn’t. David Jamieson wasn’t among the men who were caught.

“We’ll get him, don’t worry,” Dan assured her, but she didn’t feel better. Instead she envisioned a crying little girl who only wanted her daddy back and she felt a stab of guilt.

The arrested men were hauled out to waiting vehicles, and the other officers had begun to go through the contents of the warehouse. There were crates upon crates of weapons, hidden sneakily inside ceramic lawn ornaments such a gnomes and long dragons. 

Chloe was in the process of admiring a particularly ugly gnome, thinking of how Lucifer would have loved to see it, when she caught movement at the back shadows of the warehouse. Two figures, somehow missed in the initial sweep, where slowly creeping towards a back door.

Instantly she had her gun up in one hand and flashlight in the other. “Police, freeze!” she yelled, pointing her light at them. But of course, they didn’t freeze, they never did, and the two men ran for the back door. Chloe didn’t get a good look, but she was certain one of them was David Jamieson.

Her mind flashed back to Trixie Crossley, and then she pushed the thought back. Yes, she had a promise to keep, but she couldn’t let her mind be clouded right now. She had to be level headed. No mistakes this time.

Chloe took off after the two runners, shouting into her radio for back up. Once outside the warehouse she stopped to look around. It looked like the two men had gone different ways, one heading towards a parked car and the other was weaving through the other buildings of the area. She radioed in the description of the car and where it was headed while she took off on foot after the other man. Catching a car on foot was something she couldn’t do, so it would be up to an officer in a cruiser to catch that one, but she couldn’t let the other one get out of her sight.

Two blocks she followed, darting down alley ways and over the occasional fence. Every now and then the man, who she was 90% sure was David Jamieson, would turn and fire a shot or two at her, causing her to duck behind whatever was available; garbage can, car, even an old telephone booth. Back up was on the way, she was told via radio, but she couldn’t sit and wait for them for fear the perp would get away. 

Finally, Jamieson found an open door to another large warehouse and ducked inside. Chloe raced inside after him a moment later, radioing in her location, but once inside she stopped dead in her tracks. The building was full of large metal carriers, the type that would go on freight ships. 

There was no sign of Jamieson, and Chloe stood still for a moment listening to any telltale noises as to where he may have gone. Nothing, just the creak of the old building and dripping sounds. Really, why do warehouses always make dripping noises?

Carefully she walked slowly, carefully, deeper into the building, gun at the ready, trying to keep her back to the carrier she walked beside. Jamieson was armed, and there was no question he would kill her given the chance. She would have to be careful. As an afterthought she turned down the volume of her radio out of fear that it would give her location away. When she reached the end of the metal container she peeked her head around the corner, saw no movement, and quickly darted to the next one. This is how she moved for a few minutes, getting deeper and deeper into the warehouse.

That’s when footsteps met her ears. They were soft, but definitely coming from just around the end of the container she was at pressed against. It sounded like they were coming from the direction of the door she had come in, which confused her. Had Jamieson gotten behind here? Had she walked right past him? There was no time to think it over, in a moment he would be rounding the corner and facing her. 

She raised her gun at the ready, took a deep breath, then stepped around the corner of the carrier, shouting “Hands up!”

“Detective!”

Lucifer stood before her, hands up, looking startled. For a moment she was stunned, then that feeling quickly turned to anger.

“Lucifer!” She scolded in a hushed voice, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him up against the carrier with her. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Ella and I were listening over the radio,” he replied, thankfully following her lead and using a low voice as well. “To see how things were going. I heard that you were following someone on foot, that you followed him to this warehouse, and then you stopped answering your radio. The other officers kept trying to get in touch with you, but got no reply. I got worried.”

The way he looked at her, so full of concern and maybe a little relief to find her alright, completely melted her annoyance that he was there. Still, here he was, not even wearing a bulletproof vest, in a highly dangerous situation.

“You can’t stay here,” she said firmly. “You have- how did you even get here so fast?”

Lucifer just smiled and put up his hands in a “Ta-Da” motion. “Hello, Devil.”

If it wasn’t a normal occurrence for Lucifer to turn up in places he shouldn’t be able to or to get out of locked rooms or vehicles, Chloe would have asked more questions. As it were, it just gave her a slight headache. 

“You have to leave,” she said instead. She turned him around and started moving him in the direction of the door they had both used to get in.

“Detective, I can’t.”

“Yes, you can, and you will. This is far too dangerous for you to be here.”

To her surprise Lucifer dug in his heels and turned to face her. “Yet it’s perfectly fine for you to be in this situation.”

“I am a trained police officer,” she said, glowering at him. This was neither the time nor place to have this conversation, there was an armed criminal in the building with them. Unless he had already managed to escape now that Chloe was distracted.

“And I am an immortal being.”

“Who can still get hurt,” she retorted. “Who can still bleed.”

Lucifer was glaring back at her but then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes his face was softer, but still carried the signature stubborn expression that annoyed her so much. He took a step closer to her and Chloe had to lift her chin up to continue to glare at him, trying to ignore her heartbeat speeding up in a way that had nothing to do with the danger they both were in at the moment.

“I would much rather do the bleeding,” Lucifer said softly, bordering on tender, “if it meant you didn’t have to.” Then to her surprise he lifted his hand and gently touched the bruise on her temple, all that was left of her getting knocked unconscious. 

Her breath caught in her throat and she felt like she was suddenly weightless. She tried to speak, but it came out in a stutter, “L-Lucifer, I-”

A shot rang out and Chloe felt something warm speckle her face. The world seemed to slow. Lucifer’s eyes that had been locked on hers grew wider with surprise, then slowly moved downwards. Chloe followed his gaze to his chest where a bloom of red was appearing on the left breast of his Armani suit. He reached up and touched the blood, a look of pure amazement crossing his face.

Time sped back up. Lucifer lurched forward, holding onto his chest and falling to his knees with a pain filled groan. Behind him stood David Jamieson, gun raised. The criminal had managed to sneak up on them while they were too busy arguing. Without hesitation Chloe raised her own gun and fired off a shot. Normally she was an amazing shot, but the rush of emotions crashing over her caused her to hit the metal container over Jamieson’s shoulder. He jumped and took off through the warehouse.

Chloe took off after him, she crouched down behind the corner of a container and shot after Jamieson again, but he kept running. Just as she got up to chase her feet faltered and one thought shot through her head. Lucifer.

Forgetting Jamieson she rushed back to partner’s side. He was sitting on the ground, learning his back against a carrier, blood running down his front and down the side of the carrier was well. He looked to be in shock, hands over the wound on his chest but unable to put any pressure on it.

“Oh Lucifer,” Chloe cried as she crouched down at his side. “Oh God.” She usually tried hard to keep from using the “G” word around Lucifer, but the gravity of the moment seemed to call for it.

Without thinking she ripped off her jacket and wadded it up to press against the bleeding hole in his chest. As she did she looked around to see how it was that she missed getting hit by the same bullet that had torn through Lucifer. She saw it embedded in the side of the carrier they were beside. Judging by the height of the bullet’s resting place and where it had exited Lucifer just below his right shoulder, it must of hit him and whizzed just past her head. A couple inches to the left and it would have gotten her in the forehead. She wondered if that had been Jamieson’s plan.

“C-Chloe,” Lucifer uttered weakly. “What are you doing? Go after him.”

“Not a chance,” she said. It would be a lie to say a part of her didn’t want to chase Jamieson down and make him pay for not only what he had done to Detective Crossley but also for what he had just done to Lucifer, but making sure her partner was alright was more important.

“But your promise,” he said. He looked completely baffled, but that may have just been the shock.

“Someone else will get him for me,” Chloe assured him. “This is where I need to be.” She didn’t know how she was able to keep her voice so calm and even, inside her heart was racing and she felt like she was going to be overwhelmed with emotions. But Lucifer needed her to be in control right now. With one hand holding her jacket to his chest she pulled out her radio and turned it on. 

“Man down,” she yelled into it. She relayed their location, and then said that Jamieson was on the move.

After she put the radio down on the ground and returned her attention back to Lucifer. He was bleeding badly, but was shot in the right side of his back so she didn’t have to worry about his heart being hit. Still, there was a chance his right lung was punctured, but she couldn’t be sure because she wasn’t a doctor. As if on que Lucifer began to cough and blood dribbled from his chin.

“It’s going to be okay,” Chloe told him. “An ambulance is on the way. Now I need to look at the exit wound. Can you sit up?”

He gave a curt nod and leaned forward, letting out a low groan as he did so. Chloe helped him stay upright and looked at the blood that soaked his back.

“Let’s get your jacket off so I can use it to stop the bleeding from behind.”

Lucifer gave a laugh that turned into a cough, and he tried to give her one of his signature grins but it didn’t help that blood flecked his teeth.

“Always trying to get me naked,” he said and she couldn’t help but give a little laugh.

“None of that.” Even though she said that she was secretly happy that he was well enough to try to be humorous. That meant something right?

Slowly Chloe peeled his jacket off with minimal complaints from him. She then rolled it into a ball, pressed it against the gunshot wound, and ordered for Lucifer to lean up against the container again. Maybe not the most hygienic solution but it was the best she could come up with at the moment. The radio chirped, letting them know the ambulance was almost there.

“Well,” Lucifer said while Chloe was checking the wound in his chest again. “I appears I got to bleed for you after all.”

To that she didn’t know what to say. Lucifer was looking at her, almost smugly. She gazed back for a moment before shaking her head, her annoyance with him showing up here returning a little.

“How can you say that? How can you act like getting hurt like this is some kind of favour to me?”

“I would rather it be me than you,” he said matter-of-factly. He coughed a little and a tiny bit of blood shined on his lips.

“I would rather it not be either of us,” she said. She tried to keep her annoyance out of her voice but it crept in a little. “I don’t like seeing you get hurt, Lucifer. Especially if it’s because of me.”

“I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“I can keep myself safe. I have been long before you came along.” She applied a little too much pressure to his wound in her anger, which made Lucifer let out a cry. “Sorry,” she added as she eased up.

They sat in silence for a moment, Lucifer closing his eyes and making a small noise of pain while he readjusted his sitting position, Chloe holding her jacket to his chest. Finally, she felt the need to break the silence.

“If something were to happen to you because of me,” her voice came out softly and she found she couldn’t meet his gaze, “I would never forgive myself.”

“Chloe…”

“You… you’re very important to me, Lucifer.”

“And you are equally important to me.”

She finally looked up and found him looking at her intently. This man, who had just been shot because of her, who had been stabbed because her, who had nursed her when she was injured… what had she done to earn such a man in her life? Even badly injured and blood all over him, Lucifer was the picture of attractive. His dark hair was messed and his face a bit pale, but that only seemed to make him more dashing. Her pulse began to quicken, thinking of what she do if anything happened to him. If he was just gone one day? Her partner, her friend, her Lucifer. When had she started to think of him as hers?

Before she realized it she was leaning in closer, one of her hands rising from the wadded jacket she was holding and caressing his cheek. 

“Chloe?” He said questioningly, and he looked adorably confused as to what was happening, but before he could say anything more she leaned in all the way and pressed her lips to his.

It was a soft kiss, quick and affectionate, and Chloe could feel her face burning as she pulled away. She worried Lucifer would laugh at her or mock her, but he looked completely stunned and he just stared at her for a moment as what had just happened sunk in.

Then quickly he reached out, one hand taking her face and pulling it closer as he kissed her back, firmer and more urgent than she had kissed him. She could taste his blood but didn’t let it bother her as she let herself sink into everything she was feeling, the fear of losing him, the strong need to have him around, and yes, even her attraction towards him. 

His other arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer, but the effort was too much for his injured body and he ended up breaking the kiss, letting out a cry of “Oh bloody hell.” His face twisted in pain and Chloe couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“You should probably take it easy,” she said, trying to catch her own breath. She patted his chest gently but didn’t move out of his embrace.

“I never take it easy, Detective,” he told her, “Remember that for later.”

The sound of sirens finally echoed off the walls of the warehouse, and the lights flashed through the large windows. 

“Took them long enough,” Chloe said. A wave of relief washed over her. She took his hand that was still around her waist and slowly moved it to hold down the wad of cloth on his chest. “Wait here.” 

As she stood up Lucifer reached out and grabbed her hand, a little weakly but with purpose. She stopped and looked down at him.

“This is far from over,” he told her. The look on his face was serious but there was also a tiny sparkle in his eye, one that was a little mischievous. “It’s going to take more than those two little kisses to make me better this time.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and pulled out of his grasp, but as she hurried towards the entrance to flag down the ambulance she couldn’t help but smile to herself. It would seem that her and Lucifer’s relationship may be changed for good, and she was okay with that.

The paramedics rushed in and within moments Lucifer was on a gurney, though he was vehemently trying to explain that he didn’t need to go to a hospital. As Chloe watched them put him in the back of the ambulance, more than a little amused and even more relieved that he was going to be perfectly fine since the bullet appeared to have missed any important organs, word came in over the radio that two other officers had apprehended David Jamieson. 

She let out a long breath of relief over that. Her promise was kept, even if she hadn’t been the one to get Jamieson herself, he would still see justice. 

“Miss?” one of the paramedics came over to her. “Are you wanting to ride with us?”

The sight of Lucifer, bombarding the other paramedic that was trying to see to his wounds with “Do you know who I am?” and “This is completely unnecessary, do you know that?” made her feel a twinge of sympathy for the poor paramedic.

“I probably should,” she said, “You might need my help.”

She climbed into the back of the ambulance just as Lucifer was about to scold the medic about cutting his Armani suit to get at his wounds, but a single look from Chloe shushed him.

“Lucifer,” she said in chastising tone, “Be nice, they’re just doing their jobs.” As she sat down beside him she reached out and laced her fingers with his.

To her surprise, he did as she said. Or maybe he was just more distracted by her holding his hand.

Yes, she knew their relationship would never be the same after what happened in the warehouse. But the thought made her heart beat faster with excitement.

And Lucifer’s words echoed in her mind. “It’s going to take more than those two little kisses to make me better this time.” Well, maybe a lifetime of kisses would do the trick, even though it was really his own fault for showing up when she told him to stay away. 

Lucifer squeezed her hand, bringing her out of her own thoughts. He looked a little concerned.

“Are you alright, Detective?”

She gave him a smile and squeezed his hand back. “All things considered, yes. Yes I am.” 

And that was the truth.


	5. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer, while recovering in the hospital, receives a visit from Maze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the Epilogue. No Chloe sadly, but I wanted to do it from Lucifer's POV and also have him share what he has learned with someone else.

Lucifer relaxed in his hospital bed, trying to sleep but it was hard to do with the constant beeping of the machines next to him. He had never once spent an evening in a hospital and he swore he never would again. It had only been a few hours since he was admitted but it was just as vexing as he imagined it would be. The nurses were not anywhere near as sexy as Halloween costumes had led him to believe and they seemed annoyed with him at best, and mildly malicious at worst. The food left much to be desired, he wasn’t allowed to any alcohol, he couldn’t have a smoke, and he was mostly confined to his bed. He had tried to light up earlier and nearly lost his hand to his nurse.

Nurses must be made of the same stock as Chloe, Lucifer found himself thinking. He was surprised at how completely he failed when he attempted to charm his nurse into sneaking him in something harder than orange juice. She just gave him an incredulous look and left the room, much to Chloe’s amusement.

Ah yes, Chloe, the reason he even agreed to stay at the hospital in the first place. How could he have said no to her, with her big blue eyes pleading, blood speckled on her face, his blood, and squeezing his hand tight in the back of an ambulance. He knew he would be fine, he would heal shortly and would just have to deal with the uncomfortable pain in the meantime, but she was worried that he was gravely injured. So for her sake he agreed to visit the hospital.

Of course, he would have healed by now if Chloe hadn’t stuck by his side up until half an hour ago. Not that Lucifer minded, spending time with her was his favourite thing to do. He had wanted very much to pick up where they had left off in the warehouse, but despite his best efforts Chloe firmly rebuked his advances.

“Put that energy into healing,” she had said sternly, but Lucifer had seen the blush creep up on her cheeks and he knew that once he was out of this wretched hospital the two of them were going to have a long dinner together and figure things out.

Or just ravishing each other, Lucifer thought, that would work just as nicely.

“What are you smirking about?” 

The voice cut through his thoughts, forcing his eyes to snap open and look to the end of his bed. Maze stood there, examining him closely, with some strange furry thing under one of her arms. He hadn’t heard her enter the room, hadn’t even heard the door open, but that was Maze for you.

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” he replied. “I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to come.” She did look very comfortable. She wouldn’t meet his eyes and she kept looking around at all the instruments in the room with a deep frown on her face. “Where’s Chloe?”

“Finally agreed to go back to the office and write her report on what happened,” Lucifer said. “Now I am able to finally heal so I can get out of this horrid place.” 

She nodded absently but said nothing. Something about Maze wasn’t right. He had known this demon for hundreds of years, and never had he seen her so clearly not wanting to be in a place like she was now. She had yet to move from where she stood at the end of the bed and still clutched the furry thing tightly to her side.

Lucifer nodded towards the strange item. “What’s this? Have you brought me a gift?”

“Something like that.” She tossed it towards Lucifer and he caught it. It was a brown teddy bear wearing a doctor’s outfit and stethoscope, but someone had made a sword cut out of paper, coloured with crayons, and tapped it to the bear’s paw, and then what looked like paper throwing stars were pinned to the teddy’s coat.

“What on Earth-”

“She’s a ninja doctor,” Maze explained like it was obvious. For the first time since she came to his room her face brightened a little. “Trixie made her for you and asked me to deliver her. A doctor to help you get better and a ninja to protect you from getting hurt again.”

Lucifer couldn’t help a smile tug at his lips as he looked down at the bear in his hands. “How sweet. Trixie made it, you said?”

“Well, I helped.” Maze looked at her feet like she was embarrassed. “She wanted to get the sword just right.”

He couldn’t help but feel warmth in his chest. Maze had never given him anything before, well, unless you counted sexual acts. But this was different. This was born of something other than desire or lust.

“Thank you, Mazikeen,” Lucifer said, trying to make it sound as genuine as he felt.

“Yeah, well, don’t thank me,” she replied, still not looking at him. “Thank Trixie, it was her idea. But I should get going, I have stuff to do.” 

She quickly turned and headed for the door, but Lucifer sat up straight in his bed and called after her.

“Maze, is there something wrong?”

“What? No.” Her voice sounded annoyed but she still kept her back to him, and he could see her hands balled into fists at her sides.

“Honestly Maze, do you think I can’t tell that something is bothering you?”

“I’m just surprised you’re taking a moment to think about someone other than you or Chloe to notice.”

The words were sharp and harsh, and took him by surprise. Maze spun around and finally met his eyes, hers burning with anger. He looked back, mouth open, failing at finding anything to say in response.

“Oh, no smooth reply, Lucifer?” she said, hardly keeping back the venom in her voice. “Good, because there is nothing you can say that will make you throwing yourself into danger worth it.”

“I was protecting Chloe,” he finally replied, still taken aback at this change in his demon. “Would you rather her be dead?”

“She would not be dead,” Maze snapped back, walking closer to the bed and crossing her arms over her chest. “Did you even think for a moment that Chloe didn’t need your help this time? That you showing up like you did maybe put the both of you in danger?”

He opened his mouth but shut it again. It was entirely possible his arrival at the warehouse may have caused more trouble than if he had just left Chloe to her own devices, but her radio had been off, how could he know that she was safe? He had to go make sure.

“You didn’t think,” she continued, getting madder it seemed. “You just charged in like you always do, to hell with the consequences. Well this time there were consequences, you got shot, and now you’re sitting in a hospital bed like some goddamn human!” Her voice cracked at the end, revealing there was more than just anger behind her rant.

“You were worried about me,” Lucifer finally uttered.

Maze tried to give a laugh but it came out weakly, and he was stunned to see that there were actual tears welling up in her eyes. Maze, his Maze, possibly his best friend and greatest confidant, tearing up over him.

“I am still worried about you,” Maze said. She let out a deep, shaky breath and sat down on the edge of his bed. “Look at you. The King of Hell should not be stuck in a hospital bed like some mortal! I don’t want to see you like this, I can’t. It’s too much.”

“Maze...” He didn’t know what to do. Never before had he had to comfort Maze, she was too strong, too solid to ever need comforting. But here she sat beside him, appearing to be on the verge of crying and he wasn’t sure what to do or how to assure her he was fine.

“And I’m not the only one who’s been worried about you,” she added. “When Trixie heard you were in the hospital because you got shot, she cried. And I was the one who had to comfort her. Do you know how much snot comes out of a human child’s nose when they cry?” Her whole body shuddered at the memory.

Lucifer couldn’t help but smile a bit, envisioning a crying Trixie, arms wrapped tightly around Maze’s waste, tears and snot getting on the demon’s leather apparel, and Maze so frantic, not knowing how to deal with this new threat. 

“Don’t smile,” Maze snapped. “It was not fun. The only way I could make her stop is by saying she should make you a get well gift. Then I had to go out and find a doctor teddy bear for her. Do I look like the kind of person that enjoys going to toy stores?”

“Perhaps adult toy stores,” Lucifer offered.

She gave him an unamused look, but he could tell by the little twitch at the corner of her mouth that she found it a little funny, even if she was still pissed at him.

“You need to think, Lucifer,” she told him. “I want Chloe to be safe on the job too, but I want you to be safe just as much. Whenever you are with Chloe you are vulnerable, you can get hurt, badly.”

“You don’t need to remind me,” Lucifer said, “I am the one in the hospital bed.”

“The next time you could be in a coffin.” Maze’s eyes were full of anger, worry, and something he very rarely saw on her face, fear.

“Maze, I assure you that won’t happen.”

“It better not,” she told him firmly. “If you die, I will find you in Hell and I will make you suffer.”

Lucifer couldn’t help but flashing her one of his patented smiles. “Promise?”

All he got from her was a glare. She then looked away from him and he found his eyes drifting to the scar that split her left eyebrow in two.

“Maze,” he said, his voice a bit softer, “how did you get that scar again?”

Her fingers went to her eyebrow. “This one? It was just after we arrived on Earth, we got into a scrap with some angels that came to see what we were doing here.”

“Ah, yes.” Lucifer smiled at the memory. “There were three of them if I do recall. We hadn’t even been on the surface for two hours and they showed up, all feathery and pompous.”

“They really thought they could scare us back to Hell. But we showed them.” A little smile appeared on Maze’s face as she thought back.

“But one of them got you,” he continued. “Which one was it, Remiel? Raziel?”

“Simiel,” Maze scowled.

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me. Little punk cut my brand new face, how could I forget? I still have plans for him the next time I see him.” A sadistic smile spread on her lips and Lucifer couldn’t help thinking that was the Maze he knew.

“I remember after we had frightened those glorified turkeys back to the Silver City that I told you you didn’t have to go through all this with me.”

“And my answer was the same as it always was and always had been.” Maze turned to him and looked him deeply in the eye, the strength of her devotion clear in her eyes. “I will always be by your side. Even when you make incredibly stupid decisions that may possibly get you killed.”

Even though her words were meant to be a rebuke, Lucifer couldn’t help but smile back. Here was his longest friend, who had always been by his side, and still remained there even though he had pushed her away with his selfish actions time and time again. She gave him council, she gave him pleasure, she gave him herself. 

It finally occurred to him that Maze cared for him as more than a Master but as a friend. As much as she scolded him about changing since meeting Chloe, she had changed as well. The demon who not long ago had advised him to “Stop caring” because he was the Devil had begun to care herself, deeply. Not just about him, but about Chloe, and Trixie as well. 

And he found that he cared too. It wasn’t just Chloe that mattered to him, Maze mattered too. Of course, she had always mattered, but before Lucifer had only cared in that Maze was an extension of himself. Now he cared that he had upset her, that he had made her worry so much, that he had made her come to tears. 

Lucifer reached out and took Maze’s head in his hands. Before she could object he pulled her closer and brought his lips to the scar on her eyebrow, giving her a soft kiss.

“What the Hell?” Maze cried as she shoved Lucifer away from her. She sat back and stared at him, confused. “What kind of sissy ass kiss was that?”

“It’s a Kiss it Better,” he said plainly. “Chloe taught me it.”

“Of course she did,” she rolled her eyes.

“When someone you care about is in pain, you Kiss it Better to show them you care.”

Maze simply looked at him for a moment, her expression hard to read. Then she quickly stood and started looking around the room.

“That’s it, you have been in this place too long,” she announced. “You are losing your mind. We are getting you home and getting you a drink. Where’s your clothes?”

Lucifer broke into a grin. Yes, Maze and him would be fine, and they would continue to grow and change together. No matter how angery she became, he knew she would forgive him, and from now on he would put in an effort to be more conscious of her feelings.

Together, the Devil and the demon walked out of the hospital together, off to a bright new future for them both.


End file.
